


The Writer & The Rancher

by Queen_Nymeria



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Genre: F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-09 02:59:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Nymeria/pseuds/Queen_Nymeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First impressions aren't always right. Both Mary and Claire come to realize this as they come to terms with how they truly feel for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I found that there was a serious lack of femslash in the Harvest Moon section of this site so I've taken it upon myself to write some. This particular one will be a little more involved plot wise but I'll be doing other fluffy stories in the future. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this. Nymeria out -

It was a brisk day in early spring, finally nice enough to put away the heavy winter jackets but still chilly out to where most townsfolk were still loafing around in long pants and such. Claire yawned and arched her back in a cat like stretch as she adjusted the straps on her worn navy overalls and walked out of the house. She was instantly greeted by a nice early morning breeze that splayed her golden locks around her face. Inhaling deeply Claire let the cool air wash over her as she ambled over to where the freshly planted crop seeds were sleeping peacefully under the covers of the rich earthy fields.

It was nice outside today, just like the weather man had said it would be, but she narrowed her eyes as she looked over where some ominous clouds were lurking on the distant horizon. Blackened clouds rolled slowly along, but they posed no threat as of yet. Claire just shrugged it off; if it was going to rain, then it was going to rain. Nothing she could do about it. Claire turned suddenly as a loud whine from within the house broke her from her reverie and she tried hard to suppress a laugh.

Her young dog Spike looked up with indignant eyes and nipped at his master's ankles playfully as he raced out from the confines of the rancher home. Claire smiled and rubbed the soft spot under the dogs chin, reaching around to re-tie the scarlet bandanna that always seemed to be loose. Spike wagged his tail and bounded about, filled with abundant energy. The small dog then continued to trip and tumble into the shipping bin with a soft "thud" in the process. Claire stifled another laugh as she went to check up on him, but wasn't at all surprised to see the dog back up already and barking happily as it chased his tail. Leaving the dog to his own devices, Claire rummaged through her worn rucksack as she pulled out her ever handy lime green watering-can; proceeding to go through with her every day farming routine with fervor.

Wiping the glistening streaks of sweat from her forehead, she got up from her previous kneeling position and surveyed her fields as the mid-morning sun beat down upon her back. She shook her head enviously as she watched Spike doze quietly under the seducing cool shade of the oak tree that stood near the back of her farm, where the edge of her land met the immense expanse of woods.

Turning her head towards the horizon she let out a sigh of relief as she saw the dark clouds from earlier roll in closer, indicating that a shower was indeed eminent. She pulled her rucksack around her shoulders as she made her way back to her house, thanking the Harvest Goddess for blessing her with some cooling rain. She was nowhere near done with watering and the rain only eased the burden of the new seasons toil.

Claire never really enjoyed spending so much time on her hands and knees, deep in the rustic smelling earth as she planted the new season's crops but it was well worth it by the time they actually were ready for harvest. With a sharp whistle she called for Spike as she felt the soft pitter-patter of precipitation dance around her boots.

Blinking fast, Claire wiped a few drops that had caught on her eyelashes and looked back for her lagging pup. With a stressed sigh she quickly ran back and scooped up the dog in a single motion as harder drops began to fall. The gentle patter of rain was long gone as a terribly harsh pounding rang around Claire and the whimpering puppy. Crashing the door of house open with a swift kick she grimaced as the force vibrated through her leg. Tossing Spike on top of the soft downy sheets of her bed she turned and closed the door with an equally loud slam. Claire leaned against the door and let out a slow breath of air, pulling at the blonde strands that were plastered to her neck.

She slid down to her knees and let her aching back press up into the wood as she relished in the gentle softness of sound that wrapped around her. If was as welcoming as a hug from someone you haven't seen in quite a long while. Even though the loud barrage of rain was still heard from outside the confines of her home, it was immeasurably nicer being on the inside. Finally collecting her thoughts she moved her position up to a squat and stretched out her tired legs. She then strolled over to her bed where her goof-ball of a puppy was wrapped up like a mummy in her sheets. 

Untangling the furry menace from within the covers, Claire plopped Spike on the ground and straightened out the mess of her once made bed. He let out a woof once he was released and he bounced around her feet before running off. She was about to rid herself of her wet clothes and hop in the shower when she heard a rapid knocking at the door. She quickly checked her clock and wondered who would want to be out at this time with such poor weather. Claire opened the door curiously to find none other than the shy librarian from in town. Her long ebony colored hair was wind-swept and her glasses askew. 

"M-May I come in Claire?"


	2. Chapter 2

Claire gazed in wonder as the librarian from town stood in her door frame absolutely soaked to the bone and shivering. "Oh my gosh Mary, of course you can come in! You'll catch your death out there!" she exclaimed as she grabbed her and quickly whisked the other girl inside before she had time to say another word. Claire then ran to her bathroom and grabbed the first towel she saw, tearing it off the shelf and returning to the shivering girl at the front of her house. She draped the towel around Mary's shoulders and rubbed her arms, leading her to the table. She offered her a place to sit and warm up while she walked around to the other side. 

"Thank y-you so much Claire. I started off for y-your house when the sun was still out, but I got caught up in t-the rain," Mary said as she tugged at the hem of her skirt, her gaze wandering around the floor before she looked up as Claire took a seat across from her. The rancher flashed a small smile as she laughed to herself, realizing that her own clothes were just as drenched as the other girls. 

"Hold on a moment Mary. I'm going to change real fast, do feel free to continue talking," Claire said as walked over to the corner of her house where her mirror and wooden screen sat. Mary was about to reply but she didn't know how to respond. Was the rancher always this familiar with people? The librarians thoughts were scattered as she soon realized that Claire had already disappeared behind the screen and began removing layers of her wet clothing. The sound of Claire's jeans being slung over the wooden panel snapped her back into focus. Mary let out a small cough as she cleared her throat and tried to continue where she had left off. Her eyes focused on the bookshelf in front of her, too embarrassed to even think of looking towards the far corner of the house where Claire currently was undressing.

"W-well I was sent here b-by my father. You know he writes books on f-farming and such, but those were a few of his earliest w-works. Since his herbalist r-research takes up a good portion of his t-time, he sent me to ask if I could shadow you here on your farm and u-update them in his stead. I don't w-want to be a burden to your work, so if it would be bothersome you can refuse," she said in one long breath, glad to have the main explanation over with. She normally never had to talk with anyone for such lengths, since few people ever visited the library and the extent of their conversations were short to begin with. Prolonged social interaction always made her nervous, if that wasn't already clear by her manner of speaking. Mary sighed as she wished she wasn't so anxious all the time. So far Claire had done everything to make her comfortable in her home and the other girl seemed so relaxed just listening from afar. Mary knew that they both had only met a few times before this meeting, yet the blonde hair girl embodied such a friendly personality it made Mary even feel relaxed herself. But only a little. 

"Are you serious? I'm actually rather flattered!" Claire said with a laugh as she tugged on a dry shirt, flipping her hair that got caught under her collar and fanning it out evenly. "Of course you can watch me work Mary. I don't mind at all, you're not a bother to me in the least," Claire added as she finished changing. She walked around the screen and stifled a laugh as she saw Mary firmly facing the bookcase with a serious expression. 

"You didn't have to worry about me parading around naked you know. I was behind the panel the whole time," She replied as Mary's face instantly flushed and turned crimson in color. Claire couldn't help but smile as the other girl huffed indignantly. 

"I just was...you know I d-didn't want to be...oh nevermind!" Mary stuttered as she gave up on trying to explain herself to the rancher. Claire laughed in good-humor as she came to sit back across from her at the table. Mary paused momentarily as she noticed that the only thing changed from Claire's trademark farmer overalls was the color. She now wore a deep red jean over her white shirt underneath. It certainly complimented the warm colors in her hair. Mary then focused her attention as Claire started to speak.

"Now I know that you probably need to get home, but I'd rather you stay for just a bit until the storm passes. Is that alright?" Claire asked as she waited patiently for a reply. Mary pulled the towel tighter around her shoulders as she realized that he clothes were still damp from her initial brush with the rains' prowess. Claire was right, even though she needed to speak with her father about the books, it would be pointless to leave while the winds still howled outside. Besides, it would be nice to get to know the girl she'd be spending time with.

"I guess it couldn't be _too_ bad, staying here for a bit." Mary replied with a small laugh as she fixed her glasses, proud of her little bit of sarcasm. Claire laughed with her and then smiled. Not just at the joke but she had noticed that this was the first time since she and Mary had spoken, that the other girl didn't stumble over her words.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun hung low in the sky as Claire was almost finished lugging the last of her crops in from the field. A steady stream of curses could be heard faintly under her breath as this season's batch of pumpkins were unusually heavy. She then sighed as she knew that Zach would probably pay her more for the larger crop yield, but at the current moment the last thing Claire wanted was to make a fool out of herself in front of Mary. She huffed as she held the large pumpkin in her arms, using as much concentration she had as she tried to keep herself from toppling over. With another exasperated sigh she gently laid the pumpkin in the shipping bin and walked back into her fields to grab the remaining few that still hung on the vines. 

It had been quite an experience working under Mary's quiet and watchful gaze these last few weeks. Once Claire had sent the librarian home after the storm, Mary had shown up every morning promptly at six-thirty with a notebook and pen at the ready. The first time she heard a knocking on the door Claire had assumed it was the annoying traveling salesman that lived down by the beach, and she neglected to answer it out of contempt for the mean little man. After a few more knocks Claire was almost surprised to see Mary so eager to get to work, since hardly anyone from town woke up as early as she did. It was also interesting to have someone else on her farm, the company was certainly enjoyable and soon enough Claire had noticed that Mary's slight stammer didn't bother her speech anymore. It was nice to know that the librarian was comfortable with her. But Claire never thought she would find a new friend in the quietest resident of Mineral Town; but friendships are weird that way. Always popping up in the strangest of places.

As these thoughts of the other girl entered her mind Claire looked up and turned to search for Mary, her gaze landing by the horse stables where the librarian was currently running away from the young foal that she had received in the beginning of the year. The rancher laughed and quickly traversed the field, kneeling down to embrace the young animal in her arms as Mary jumped a few feet behind her. The librarian shuffled around nervously for a few moments before she finally had the nerve to peek over Claire's shoulders and eye the animal suspiciously.

"And here I thought you were supposed to observing the technical mechanics behind the art of raising summer crops or something. Tsk tsk, what am I going to tell your father young lady?" Claire said with another laugh as she ran her hands through the baby horse's tangled mane, turning slightly to look up at the librarian behind her. Mary let out an indignant huff as Claire teased her, causing the rancher to laugh a bit harder. Mary seemed to always be doing that lately, always protesting against Claire's jokes. But the librarian just made it so easysometimes and Claire couldn't help but kid the girl. 

"Well for **your** information Claire, it was yourinsane horse that decided that my notebook was going to be it's afternoon snack! It was all I could do to protect myself from the savage beast," she replied testily as she held her slightly damaged notebook close to her chest, returning her attention to the horse as she stared down the animal.

"You mean sweet ol' Anabelle here? My precious baby horse, is the "savage beast" you speak of?" Claire questioned mockingly as she held Anabelle's head in her hands, stroking the horse's nose gently. Anabelle then let out a small whiny and Mary nearly leaped ten feet in the air, immediately jumping back as she tried to put as much distance between her and the very "vicious" baby horse. By this time Claire was nearly crying she was laughing so hard at Mary's antics, her sides hurt and she seriously could not keep a straight face to save her life. It took all the restraint she had not to just let Anabelle go  _accidentally_ and just watch the scene unravel into something straight out of some slapstick comedy sketch. But no, Claire didn't want to spook the poor librarian half to death, so she held on to the horse as much as her curiosity protested. 

"Gosh darn it Claire! This is not a laughing matter!" Mary exclaimed as she still was slowly inching away from the rancher and her horse, now wielding her notebook in a sword-like fashion as she waved it side to side threateningly.

"Are you positive that we're seeing the same thing here?" Claire replied as she shook her head and slowly stood up, leading Anabelle back to the stables. She clicked the door softly behind the animal once she was inside and returned to the librarian who was now busy writing a few quick things down in her notebook, feigning indifference as she pretended that the recent altercation didn't just happen. Claire grinned and flicked the corner of the white notebook page, causing Mary to stare up at her and wrinkle her eyebrows. 

"Must you always be a pest? I am actually trying to write something down you know," She replied as she scratched through a word, clearly hinting at the fact that Claire had somehow messed up a word and she now had to re-write it over again.

"Oh, you just love my good wholesome humor. Don't deny it bookworm," Claire replied as she nudged the girl in the side, trying to grab her attention again. "Besides, I have something to show you." she added as she grabbed Mary's hand and tugged her towards the fields, not caring if she had messed up another word in her precious notebook.

Mary let out a yelp of protest as the action caught her off guard but she eventually complied as she followed the rancher along. The librarian's gaze wandered aimlessly for a bit before before it landed on Claire, wondering where the rancher was leading her. Mary almost ran into her as she stopped at an old wooded bridge that stretched its way across the river that marked the end of Claire's farm and start of the large looming forest behind it. Claire then released Mary's hand and plopped herself down on the bridge, swinging her legs forward so that they dangled off the side and almost skimmed the gentle water beneath them. The blonde smiled and patted the spot next to her, indicating that she wanted Mary to sit down.

The librarian then checked her watch as her parents were probably wondering where she was by now; they usually expected her to return home right after the work day was over. She glanced back towards the entrance of the farm and wondered what she should do. Mary didn't her want parents to worry but as she looked back towards the rancher she couldn't help but laugh at the other girl's goofy expression. Claire had scootched over and began to poke at Mary's shoes, showing that she wanting her to hurry up and sit down already.

"Fine you dope, I'll stay. Calm down will you?" Mary said as she finally sat down and gently folded her legs to the side, leaning back some as got herself situated on the bridge comfortably. She then turned her attention back to Claire who was now staring off at some fixed point in the distance. Mary was about to speak and question what she was supposed to be waiting for, but she was immediately met with a quick hushed noise from Claire. The rancher turned around shook her head, waving her hands a bit to keep the librarian quiet. Mary let out a huff but otherwise obeyed the request for silence. 

Eventually the only sounds that could be heard was their own breathing, the whisper of water lazily flowing under the bridge, and the rustle of leaves as a cool summer breeze slowly passed by and caused a few trees to a sway in response. Soon enough faint murmur of crickets started up as well, stunning Mary as she sat in awe of the whole scene that was unraveling around her. It was just so incredibly peaceful and she had never before experienced such a serene sense of calm. Her father was always the one boring her with lectures about the environment, and more often than not, she usually ignored him. Why worry about the crazy outdoors when you could be perfectly content inside with a book?

But as Mary contemplated the transcendental importance of nature, she was brought out of her reverie by a sharp jab to her waist. She was about to snap angrily at Claire but she was again kept in silence by what the rancher was staring at. The sun had begun its initial descent towards the horizon and the entire sky was streaked in every shade of pink, orange, and red imaginable. The fiery ball of light was dipping the everything in a warm golden glow, causing Mary to grin as she broke her eyes away from the sunset and laugh lightly as Claire's own golden locks. They had picked up an almost blinding ginger tone as her hair reflected the soft light.

Now, Mary had been never been known to be an impulsive person, but at that very moment she wanted nothing more then to just run her fingers through Claire's golden waves of hair. She tentatively started to raise her hand but stopped herself as her mind shifted into overdrive and she quickly began to question herself. 

_"Hold on, what am I doing? What if Claire thinks I'm weird, like who just randomly strokes their friend's hair? I don't want to muck up the friendship we have with one impromptu act of impulsiveness. Wait, impulsiveness. That's what it is right?  I mean why else would I want-"_ But before her mind caught up with her actions, Mary found herself loosing her thoughts to the softness that wrapped around her fingers. She almost stopped herself as she realized what she was doing but in another surprise, Claire didn't say anything. The rancher just leaned into Mary's touch and let her body fall back into her lap, causing the librarian to almost to fall backwards herself. Claire grinned up at her but a flash of wonder crossed her face as Mary caught herself doing something even more impulsive. She didn't even have time to stop herself from planting a small kiss upon the rancher's forehead. 


	4. Chapter 4

A tense moment flickered past as Mary, once again, let her mind fast forward into overdrive. Frantic thoughts bounced around her mind as she quickly began to regret ever trudging her way over to the farm all those weeks ago, cursing her father for ever putting her up to the task that brought her there. Why on Earth did she just decide to kiss Claire? All Mary knew is that she didn't want to watch Claire's reaction as the farmer probably was horrified by her actions.

Claire actually was just a bit shocked as she felt the librarian's lips press softly against her forehead, not really expecting the afternoon to take such an interesting turn. She took a moment to think as well and was about to speak when she found herself suddenly falling against the hard wood bridge, no longer laying against Mary. Claire watched from the ground as the librarian bolted towards the woods and disappeared into the thick of the trees across the river.

"Why did you...run off?" Claire asked aloud to the empty space Mary had once been occupying moments before. She had been planning on asking Mary about the kiss but clearly Claire could no longer do so with the other girl running off at a break neck speed. The farmer got to her feet slowly but a sense of dread came instantly came over her. Now that the sun had disappeared from the sky, the woods was definitely not a place for people to be wandering around in at night. Claire hurriedly followed suit as she chased after the receding figure in front of her.

All Mary could do was run away, pushing herself faster and faster as her mind was clouded over with immense anxiety and embarrassment. She was too focused on her thoughts to even pay attention to where she was heading, all she wanted was to be as far from the farm as possible. Well, not paying attention to your surroundings does come at a price, and soon enough the librarian tripped over some large tree roots and stumbled down a small hill within minutes of her race into the woods. Landing in a bunch of dried debris she let out an exhausted sigh of defeat, not even trying to get up. After a few moments Mary then turned her head to the side, trying to survey her surroundings from her position on the ground. By the looks of it, she had some how wound up at the base of Mother's Hill, the large mountain that sat in the deep recesses of the forest. During the few times her father had forced her to visit the mountain it had always been under more pleasant and sunnier conditions. But now as the evening began to grow darker it only seemed foreboding, long gone were the happy images she once had previously. 

Claire let out a stressed sigh as she began to worry about where the nervous librarian had ran off to, her eyes quickly darting around the forest as she searched for the other girl. Of course the evening shadows that suddenly started to stretch across the ground did nothing to spook her, in fact Claire was more familiar with these woods then most of the townsfolk. 

When the farmer had first moved to town she had spent almost every day in the deep wooded areas looking for interesting fruits and flowers to sell since she had been rather low on cash those first few months. Farming was a hard occupation when you have to wait so long to reap profits from the harvest and it also didn't help that so much of her savings had been spent just on the land and home itself. That crook of a Mayor had spun her stories of a practically immaculate farm just waiting for her to own, but by the time Claire actually showed up, she realized that she had unfortunately just bought the most shoddy looking excuse for something that faintly resembled a farm. It took ages for Mayor Thomas to eventually calm the enraged blonde, as he tried to soothe her with words of reason. But all Claire could see was red; she had just spent all of her money on a dump and the pipsqueak in front of her was asking for her to be calm? It did take a bit of time and apologies on the Mayor's behalf, but soon enough Claire had been convinced to stay in the town and begin her new life as a farmer.

She then shook her head as she tried to focus herself, turning her train of thought away from those early few days and back to the task at hand. Find Mary. Claire sighed again as she began to speed up her pace, only worrying for the librarian's sake as Mary obviously wouldn't be able to find her way back to town once the shadows of the evening completely covered the forest. That girl could hardly see when there was enough light out, let alone in a forest at night.

"Mary! Maaary!" Claire called as she cupped her hands around her mouth, trying desperately to have her voice carry farther into the woods. She let out another sigh as she glanced up at the sky, her eyebrows knitting in frustration as dark gray clouds floated about and obstructed any chance of decent moonlight illuminating the woods. She kept trudging forward as she new she had to find the other girl. Unfortunately for Claire, she could hardly see in the dark as well, somehow tripping over tree roots and flying face first down a hill and straight into a pile of leaves that let out a loud 'Ooof' as she fell. Wait, backtrack, leaves don't make noise, it was actually Mary she had stumbled upon. 

"Aha! Found you! And you're not getting away this time!" Claire exclaimed as she quickly clambered on top of the girl she had just landed on, pinning her down despite her squeals of protest. Finally the librarian stopped moving and looked up at the farmer, her initial frustration melting into nervousness as she tentatively caught her gaze. The farmer let out a soft laugh as she tried to brush some of the leaves that were intertwined in Mary's jet black locks, throwing them off to the side as she then toyed with her hair. 

"First of all, why did you leave me on the bridge?" 

"I...thought you might be upset." 

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because I...kissed you."

"Oh, while that certainly was adorable...this...this is a kiss." Claire replied as she leaned forward and placed her hand on the side of the librarians face, slowly brushing some stray locks aside as she closed the distance between them. She gently pressed her lips against Mary's and was only slightly surprised to see her return the action with fervor. The shy little bookworm wasn't all too shy now as she eagerly slid her hands around her waist, pulling the farmer closer to her. Claire pulled herself away for only a second as she smiled down at the girl beneath her before she spoke.

"I never would have imagined we would end up here." 

"In a pile of leaves? Or kissing in said pile?" 

"Both," Claire replied as she quickly leaned back down and picked up where they had just left off.


End file.
